Method and apparatus for the treatment of gases



P" 1944- G. SIMPSON METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT OF GASES Filed Aug. 25, 1.940

v INVENTbR G's: orgell Simpson r M, M4

. gases, as for example heater following this heater;

Patented Apr. 4, 1944 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE TREAT- MENT OF GASES George L. Simpson,

Coraopolis Heights, Pa., as-

signor to Delaware Engineering Corporation, Wilmington, Del., a corporation 0! Delaware Application August 23, 1940, Serial No. 353,825

4 Claims.

This invention relates to the treatment of gases containing oxidizable materials. The invention is particularly applicable toand will be described in connection with the treatment of hydrocarbon natural gas, and has to do more particularly with the operation of the adsorbing equipment through which the gas is circulated as a part of the treatment.

Purely as an illustration of the application of my invention, it will be described as applied to natural gas which contains a certain amount of organic material or higher hydrocarbons as well as water vapor. It the gas has been subjected to an absorption proces forthe extraction of natural gasoline, some. of the absorbent oil may beentrained with the gas which also may contain some unremoved higher hydrocarbons. It is the practice to pass the natural gas through adsorbing means which remove the water vapor from the gas and which also remove some of the lighter hydrocarbons, absorbent oil and organic. sub stances. One form of equipment used and to the additional temperature may be added by electric heaters located inside the adsorber vessels.

In other cases the oxidation of these organic residues in place by use of a controlled stream of heated air, may be used. Because excessive temperatures can be readily developed if the oxidation (an exothermic reaction) is carried on at too rapid a rate, automatic means may be provided for returning a controllable portion of the etlluent gases to the input side to regulate the rate of oxidation through dilution and the control of the oxygen content of the heated input reactivating stream.

I contemplate reactivating under working pressure and by means of passing a heated portion of the gas to be cleaned at regular intervals through the unit to be reactivated, but when the eificiency oi the adsorbent material is undesirably reduced, I bleed the pressure from the unit and clean it by a highly heated current of air.

According to the invention a method and apparatus are provided wherein the unit on activation which my invention relates embodies a pair of units, each charged with a finely divided solid absorbent material such as activated alumina or silica gel. The gas is passed alternately through one unit and then the other and while one unit is on adsorption, the other is being reactivated. The organic materials referred to in the gas, upon I with hydrocarbons and a method of conducting this clean-up at periodic intervals to prevent the accumulation beyond some desirable value while the usual methods of reactivation under pressure and in a heated gas stream are conducted between periodic cleanings.

The higher temperatures for this periodic clean-up may be obtained by burning gas in a stream of air and sucking the heated products of reactivation through the adsorbers; in this case, on account of the fire hazard, a complete system of safety screens, safety pilots, automatic pilot lights and maximum'temperature shutofi' must be provided. In other cases steam, superheated, may be used to heat the stream of air which is drawn through the apparatus. In other cases air, preheated by the regular steam gas heater, may be further heated by an auxiliary electric to avoid the passage of highly heated gases through the valves may be reduced to atmospheric pressure at desired intervals and air at elevated temperature forced through the adsorbent materialto oxidize or carry away the deposited organic material and thereby clean the material to render it adsorptive to water.

The invention may be fully understood by reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of one form of my invention, arranged primarily for use where the entering gas is relatively cool and wet;

Fig. 2 is a modification showing a difierent form of heating apparatus, and showing a system primarily intended for use of fuel firedlieated gas reactivation.

Referring first to Fig. l, the numerals 2 and 3 designate similar adsorptive units of a type well known to those skilled in the art, and adapted to contain a mass of finely divided solid adsorbing material, such, for example, as activated alumina or silica gel. Each of the units 2 and 3 is provided with a gas inlet pipe, these being designated 4 and 5 respectively. They are each provided with an outlet pipe, the outlet pipes being designated 6 and 1 respectively. The inlet pipes 4 and 5 both communicate with the common switchover valve 8, and the pipes E and 1 both communicate with the similar valve 9. The gas to be treated is supplied through a pipe or conduit I 0. Branching oif from the through-which is controlled by pipe ll connects into a pipe I leads to one side of the valve 8 pipe III is a. main pipe I l, the flowis such that with the valve in the position shown in Fig. 1 a gas flowing through the pipe in may pass down the pipe ll, enter the pipe i2, pass through the valve 8 into the pipe 4, and thus enter the unit 2. The unit 2 at this time is on the adsorptive cycle of its operation. By turning the valve 8 a quarter turn, the passage 8a inthe valve 8 may be connected to deliver fluid from the pipe E2 to the pipe 5, thus putting the unit 3 on the adsorbing stage.

The pipe i is provided with a valve-controlled branch is that passes through a heat exchanger 54, and through a valve passageway it into pipe l6 that communicates with the valve 8. Valves I30. and Him control the flow of fluid through this part of the system. When the unit 2 is on the adsorbing stage, the heated gas from the pipe l6 flows through port 8b of the valve 8 into' pipe and into the adsorbing unit 3. From the ac.- sorbing unit 3 it flows through the pipe i to the passage 9a of the valve 9 into a pipe ll thence to a heat exchanger I8. The heat exchanger i8 is for cooling the gas. The cooled gases are discharged into the pipe l2, there being a valve l2a in this pipe between the cooler l8 and the junction of pipes I I and II. A trap is i provided at the bottom of the heat exchanger or cooler l3 to carry off any material which condenses therein.

With this, arrangement most of the gas flowing through the pipe i0 is delivered directly to the adsorbing chamber or unit 2. A small portion of the flow of gas, however, is by-passed through the heat exchanger M where the gas is heated by means of a steam coil, and from the heat exchanger it flows through the chamber or unit 3 where the heated gas serves to reactivate the adsorbent material. After having been used as a reactivating fluid, it passes through pipe 5, valve 3, and pipe I! into the cooler it. The cooled gas is returned to the main stream of gas in pipe I! for passage through the adsorber 2. From the adsorber 2 the dry gas passes out the pipe 6 and through passage 9b of valve 9 to a discharge pipe 20. By reversing the valves 8 and 9 the flow of fluid is reversed so that most of the gas flows only through the unit 3, whereas the lesser flow of heated gas then flows through the unit 2 to activate the material therein.

During this treatment of the gas the adsorbent material in the adsorbing unit becomes fouled with the organic accumulationsabove referred to. And when it becomes so fouled, 'its'ability to adsorb water from the gas is reduced. According to the present invention means are pro-- vided in'the system whereby at any time either of the units which is not on the adsorbing cycle may be reduced to atmospheric pressure, and highly heated air can be forced through it to oxidize and carry away these deposited hydrocarbons. To this end there is provided a blower '2l having an outlet pipe 22 connected into the pipe 13. A valve 23 is provided in pipe 22. A branch pipe 24 leads of! the pipe H. The pipe 24 is provided with a valve 25 and is connected to a vent pipe. 23 in which is a valve 21 for controlling the escape of gas to the atmosphere. It is connected also with a branch pipe 28 having a valve 29 therein, leading to the intake side of the blower 2 I. The pipe 28 is also provided with an air intake pipe 36, having ,a valve 3| therein through which atmospheric air may be inducted into the system.

The operation is as follows: Assume that the parts are in the position shown in Fig.1 and that it is desired to remove the accumulation from the unit 3 which is at this time on the activating cycle. The valve i3a is closed. The valve l5a is closed. The valve In is closed, and the valve 25 is opened, and the valve 21 is opened. This vents the unit 3 to the atmosphere. The blower 2! is then operated with the valve 23 and valve 3! opened. Air is blown through the heat exchanger is, and is heated. It may be additionally heated by being passed through an auxiliary heater 32, which may conveniently be an electric heater, so that the temperature of the air can be raised above that produced by the steam coil in the heat exchanger M. A valve 33 controls the flow of air through this auxiliary heater. When the air is to be passed through the heater 32 the valve 33 is opened and the valve l5a isclosed. The highly heated air is then discharged from the heater 54 through pipe l6, valve 8, pipe 5, and. into the unit 3 Where it will oxidize the material which has accumulated in the filtering material, and carry away some of the other impurities. The products of combustion are vented to the atmosphere through the valve-controlled vent-pipe 23. In order to prevent excessively high temperatures during the oxidation of the combustibles, the valve 29 maybe opened so that the pipe 28 may lead some of the products of combustion to the blower 2i. The rate of combustion and the temperature can be regulated by controlling the dilution of the air with products of combustion. Hand'valves have been illustrated for accomplishing this control, but it will be apparent that automatic regulators may be employed. After the heated air has been passed through the unit 3 for sufficient length of time to remove the accumulation of organic material from the solid adsorbent, blower 24 is cut off, valve 23 is closed, valve 25 is closed, valve iZa is opened, valve We. is opened, valve 33 is closed, and the normal flow of the gas through the unit 3 i re-established, and by manipulating valves 8 and 9 the flow of gas to be cleaned may be established through unit 3 if desired. It is, of course, apparent that with the valves 8 and 9 reversed the unit 2 may be treated in the same way.

In the system shown in Fig. 2 substantially the same arrangement is employed, and corresponding reference numerals with primes afdxed have been used to designate corresponding parts. The main flow of gas is from the pipe through valve l to, pipe H to pipe l2, valve 8', pipe 6' to unit 2'. From cooler l8"the gases are discharged through the pipe i2 having a valve 12a therein, the pipe l2 communicating with the valve 8. Instead of using a steam coil to preheat the gas that is used for activating the adsorbent material. Fig. 2 shows an arrangement in which some of the gas is by-passed through a pipe 33 and a pressure regulator 39 to a burner 40. The burner 40 provides heat for a heat exchanger That portion of gaswhich is used for activating purposes flows through pipe 42 and heat exchanger 4|. It is discharged from the heat exchanger 4! through pipe 43 to the.

'ing the flow of the or undiluted is forced through they system the gas burner can be set to deliver more heat, and raise the temperature of the air to a higher point than when it is being used to heat the gas. The operation is otherwise the same as described in connection with Fig. 1.

In the operation oi the processing the gas is usually heated only to about 340 F. The air on v the removal 01' the adsorbent material from the and 3 and without shuttingadsorbing units 2 down the operation of the system. While I have illustrated and described certain preferred embodiments of my invention, and have described the same particularly in connection with the treatment of natural gas, it will be understood that this is merely byway of illustration, and that various changes and modifications may be in the contemplation of my invention and under the scope of the following claims, and that the invention is applicable to the treatment of any gases where the to become clogged with an oxidizable deposit or accumulation.

I claim as my invention:

1. Apparatus for the treatment of hydrocarbon gases comprising a pair or treating units consolid adsorbent material tends while the other unit 3 one unit which is conditioned as an adsorber is being activated and for alternating the flow to reverse the conditions 10f adsorbing and-activation, means for by-passing some of the gas from said source and directing it into the unit after it passes through the unit under activation to the main stream of gas under pressure to pass through the adsorbing unit, means for closing said by-pass, means for venting to the atmosphere the unit under activation, while the other unit is on adsorption, means for forcing, air through the vented unit, means for diluting the air with products of combustion from the unit being activated, and means for heating the air to a temperature to oxidize organic deposits on the adsorptive material.

3. Apparatus of the class described, comprising two chambers containing adsorbent material, a switchover valve, two pipes leading froni taining a solid adsorptive material, a source of gas to. be treated, valves for circulating gas from said source through one unit which'is conditioned as an adsorber while the other unit is being activated and for alternating the flow to reverse the conditions of adsorbing and activation, means for by-passing some of the gas from the valve one to each chamber, a conduit through which gases to be treated are supplied, a main pipe and a branch pipe leading from the conduit, to the switchover valve by means of which valve either of the two last mentioned pipes can be connected to either one of the chambers, heating means connected to the branch pipe, an outlet pipe leading from each' chamber, -adischarge pipe, a second switchover valve connected to the outlet pipes and the discharge pipe, means for cooling gas, said cooling means having a gas inlet and a gas outlet, a pipe connecting the gas inlet to the second switchover valve, a pipe connecting the gas outlet to-the mainpipe, means said source and directing it into the unit which 3 is being activated, means for heating the gas so by-passed before it enters the unit, means for delivering the gas after it passes through the unit under activation to the main stream of gas to pass through the adsorbing unit, means for cooling the gas so by-passed before it enters the adsorbing unit, means for selectively-interruptby-passed gas stream into the heating means. means for selectively circulating air in lieu of the by-passed gas stream intothe said heater and unit, and means for diverting the air after it flows through the unit to prevent contamination of the gas in the other unit.

2. Apparatus for the treatment of hydrocarbon gases under pressure, comprising a pair or treating units containing a solid adsorptive material, a source of gas to be treated, valves for circulating gas from said source through whereby air may be forced through the branch pipe, said last mentioned means being connected to the branch pipe before the pipe enters the heater, and means connected to the pipe connecting the gas'inlet and the second switchover valve for diluting the air with gases which are produced from air which has already been passed through one or the chambers.

4. The method of treating combustible gas to purify it which comprises dividing the flow of gas to be treated, alternately diverting one stream through one of two adsorber units and then through the other, heating the other stream and flowing it successively through both adsorber units, first through the one not receiving the first stream of gas and second through the one through which the first stream is flowing and in the same direction so that the two streams mingle in the second unit, intermittently controllably diluting the second" stream 01' gas with air and when so dilutedcirculatingit through only the first unit which it contacts whereby it does not mingle with the second stream when so diluted.

I GEORGE L. SIMPSON.

which is being activated meansfor heating the gas so by-passed before ,it enters the unit, means for delivering the gas 

